Union Station Revitalization

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Tripling the size of Canada’s busiest transportation hub is an enormous and sometimes messy undertaking. We’re putting you first by trying to minimize service disruptions during the renovation by tackling the construction in phases.

WHAT’S CHANGING?

With the York Concourse complete and Bay Concourse construction well underway, there is still work to be done at Union Station. We’re building the infrastructure for two-way, all day transit with 15-minute service or better within the most heavily travelled Metrolinx-owned rail corridors, twice the train trips during rush hour and four times the number of train trips outside of rush hour and on weekends. To support this massive expansion, we’re also adding signalling systems and larger platforms at the station, while improving the tracks and corridors feeding into it.

Meanwhile, the City of Toronto is working to revitalize the portions of Union Station it owns, including the Great Hall, VIA Concourse, and station concourses. For more information on those projects, please visit the City's website.

A partial closure of the ramp between the VIA Concourse and the Great Hall may make this route slower than usual. Consider using the York Concourse. Please give yourself more time to arrive at your destination.

We’ve been able to make all of these improvements in a 100-year-old building while keeping transit services moving every single day, which is no easy task. The multi-year project to improve your experience at Union Station will mean some future boarding adjustments and other changes as we make it easier to access your train and widen some platforms, create better connections to transit and local attractions and add more amenities, including a retail level and new food options.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to upgrade and improve Union Station.

BAY AND YORK CONCOURSES

Once the Bay Concourse is complete, both Union Station concourses combined will be triple their original size and will feature:

Better platform access, including the ability to access the full length of the platform from the concourse level

Connections to a new retail level

An improved, accessible connection to downtown Toronto's PATH system through the TTC Union Subway Station

A new customer service counter, new PRESTO and ticket vending machines, more departure boards and new entrances to the street level

The City of Toronto is renovating the Bay Concourse for us and is planning on handing it over later this year. We'll then take several months to customize the area to add to your easy and convenient travel experience with us.

MORE STAIRS & ELEVATORS

To make trips even faster and easier while improving passenger accessibility, we continue to build more stairs and elevators to train platforms. Our improvements include:

Adding stairs and elevators between concourses and platforms, with elevator access to all GO platforms

Better access to the concourse and platforms from York East

Direct stair and elevator access to the Great Hall from the York Concourse

Escalators to the new retail level

Renovating existing stairs and elevators

PLATFORM IMPROVEMENTS

Starting May 2, we’re enhancing safety and communications features on platforms at Union Station, including platform lighting, electronic signage, a new PA system and making repairs to stairwells. Some platforms will change, learn more.

We’re making improvements at the platform level to give you more efficient, frequent and comfortable GO service. These include:

Building a new platform to reduce overcrowding during peak hours and add more train capacity to the station

Widening existing platforms to make your commute safer and more comfortable

Constructing a roof structure over the new platform to protect you and GO equipment from the weather

Constructing an additional concourse area below the new platform to improve circulation through the station

Installing an improved emergency power system to keep our services running during a power outage

PLATFORM COVERAGE

The train shed – the roof covering the platforms and tracks – is an essential part of Union Station's renewal. The east and west portions of the roof have been renovated and restored, and the centre portion has been replaced with a large glass atrium, providing sunlight to the platform level. Because the train shed is a designated heritage structure, we worked closely with Parks Canada on its renovation and construction.

SIGNAL IMPROVEMENTS

Modernizing our signal system will reduce signal disruptions, improve reliability and allow trains to move faster to get you where you need to go, easily and safely. This project will include work on the cable network, retaining walls, maintenance access roads that run parallel to the tracks, and the gas lines that supply heat for snow blowers on rail switches.

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